Samsung’s Theatrics Reach New Heights with Galaxy A.R. Show

Even by Samsung Electronics’s (005930KS) standards, Sunday’s “Unpacked" press conference in Barcelona was a spectacle to behold.

A line of white-shirted young docents did the wave outside in the sunshine of the plaza of Fira Montjuic, as a phalanx of catering staff lined up to offer hors d’oeuvre to guests as if it were a military review. It was like being in a Fellini movie.

How appropriate, for an event focusing on augmented reality, or A.R.

D.J. Koh, head of Samsung's mobile division, on stage at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to unveil the "Galaxy S9."

What was being unveiled here at the Mobile World Congress trade show, the industry’s biggest annual gathering, was this year’s pair of flagship phones from Samsung, the “Galaxy S9” and “S9 Plus.”

Samsung execs, led by the head of the company's mobile division, D.J. Koh, brought the hyperbole, with repeated talk of “reinventing” the smartphone camera, and breathless expressions by executives: “I think you can tell, I really love this phone!”

Samsung docents do the wave outside the company's "Unpacked" event for the Galaxy S9.

Gadget reporters wait on line to get into Samsung's "Unpacked" event in Barcelona.

The devices feature things such as an ability to jump between two different apertures in the camera, to adjust the camera to either bright light or low light, a first in a phone, said Samsung.

There's also a new “super slow-mo” function, for slow-motion video, which lets you film things at 960 frames per second, versus conventional slo-mo of 240 frames. The results were of course stunning slow-motion clips of water being thrown on someone’s face. The camera has been beefed up with its own DRAM chip to handle that, which should be music to the ears of DRAM suppliers Micron Technology (MU) and, of course, Samsung itself.

The crowd was elated at the revelation that such slo-mos can be set as the lock screen of the phone.

The thing that got the crowd crazy was a way to turn a selfie into an animated character, something of a cross to the “animoji” on Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone X and the Bitmoji self-portraits of Snap (SNAP). Samsung calls them “A.R. emoji,” for augmented reality.

Making an A.R. emoji.

There were other examples of A.R. Each attendee was asked to download the Samsung app for their phone in advance. At a moment in the presentation, they were asked to point the app’s camera at their press badge. Through the viewfinder, a three-dimensional graphic of the S9 was overlaid on one’s hand. You could turn the phone around with your hand and see if from every angle, in proper perspective. It was a very good A.R. demo, and the crowd seemed delighted.

Samsung is teaming up with Sephora to let you see what makeup will look like on you before you buy (you can then purchase right from within the app). And the camera will also recognize foods you eat and populate a diet diary in the Samsung health app, if you’re watching what you eat.

You can point the S9 at a sign in another language, like a menu, and have it translated for you instantly. No more fumbling over what “Hongeo” is in a Korean restaurant.

The stage show culminated with a sudden performance of the white-shirted Samsung youth, bouncing around on stage, before running off and leading the assembled to the demo area. There, throngs of people were captivated making their own A.R. emoji. And taking pictures of themselves making such A.R. emojies.

Gadget aficionado Myriam Joire sets up the shot.

The scrum to report on the Galaxy S9.

And of course, there was the Samsung bag-o’-schwag, and this was the classiest one I've ever seen: what looks to be a very nice box of traditional Catalan sweets, and a boxed set of some fancy looking olive oil. Way to go, Samsung!

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Samsung’s Theatrics Reach New Heights with Galaxy A.R. Show

Even by Samsung Electronics’s (005930KS) standards, Sunday’s “Unpacked&quot; press conference in Barcelona was a spectacle to behold.

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